MusicUnitesUS, Brandeis University Waltham Public Schools

Lesson Plan Overview: A Taste of Drum and Dance from Asante, Ewe, Ga, and Dagomba Traditions Curated by Ben Paulding, percussionist and leader of Brandeis University ensemble Fafali Lesson Plan Writer: Barbara Cardarelli, Waltham Public Schools

Context: This is an overview of the 7th grade mini-unit that will precede and accompany theNovember15th, 2018 performance of “A Taste of Ghana – Drum and Dance from Asante, Ewe, Ga, and Dagomba Traditions. As stated in the Brandeis information, “A Taste from Ghana will bring five world-class Ghanaian performing artists to Brandeis for a week of classes, workshops, and concerts. These musicians represent four of the major ethnic traditions of Ghana: Asante, Ewe, Ga, and Dagomba. These five artists will be brought together for the first time in history by Brandeis University to offer the campus and the community a holistic overview of Ghanaian music and culture. Together, they represent expertise in drumming, dancing, singing, language, and culture. The unit is currently planned to utilize three days of Social Studies Class (55 minutes per class), plus one day for the performance. The lessons are for the teachers to use as written or modify and arrange information in whatever way the teacher wants to use it. Objectives: The overarching objectives for the mini-unit are as follows: • To prepare students for the MUUS performance by giving them context relating to the geography, traditions, and culture of Ghana • To supplement the geography curriculum, based on MA History and Social Science Frameworks, Common Core, and the important role that music plays in the Ghanaian culture and tradition • To help teachers by reinforcing the vocabulary and concepts already in use • To explore a nation’s history and ethnic diversity in the present day life of the people The daily objectives are as follows: • Day 1 – To give context to the performance by reviewing the geography and . Students will be able to complete a map the region by labeling key places. Students will be able to understand how the relative location of a region affects its history. Students will read about Ghana today. Students will explore a secondary source, and answer questions about Ghana today, and a primary source – interview with a teen from Ghana. • Day 2 – Students will be able to compare four major ethnic groups within Ghana and synthesize information about them. They will research each group’s beliefs and customs. In addition, students will explore Culture Grams and various complex texts and complete a graphic organizer about the 4 ethnic groups from the performance. • Day 3 – Students will read about the musicians, instruments, listen to their sounds and complete answers to questions. They will examine the sound, behavior, and ideas of the music. http://www.musicunitesus.info/bios-fall2018.html site gives biographies for the performers. • Day 4 – Performance Standards MA Frameworks: Concepts and skills – 1. Use map and globe skills 2. Use geographic terms correctly 3. Interpret geographic information from a chart 4. Explain the difference between absolute and relative location and give examples of different ways to indicate relative location for countries or cities across the world. 5. Use the following demographic terms correctly: ethnic group, religious group, and linguistic group. Learning Standards: AFRICA A.1 On a map of the world, locate the continent of Africa, the , the Indian Ocean, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Great Rift Valley. On a map of Africa, locate the Northern, Eastern, Western, Central, and Southern regions of Africa, the Sahara Desert, the Nile River, Lake Victoria, Mount Kilimanjaro, and the Cape of Good Hope. A.2 Use a map key to locate the countries and major cities in the various regions of Africa. A.3 Explain how the following five factors have influenced settlement and the economies of African countries. A. absolute and relative locations D. major natural resources B. climate E. population size C. major physical characteristics Common Core: Reading: 1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. 2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions. 3. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including vocabulary specific to domains related to history/social studies. 4. Integrate visual information (e.g. in charts, graphs, photographs, videos, or maps) with other information in print and digital texts. Writing: Draw evidence from informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research. Assessments: • Formative assessments are built into each lesson Day 1 Pre Knowledge activity: What do students know about Africa? Ghana? Give students time to write ideas. Students can turn and talk with a partner and compare their lists. Discuss their answers as a class. Geography of the region: Activity: Students will complete a map of the region and the graphic organizer that follows the map. Students can use an atlas to complete the map and https://www.everyculture.com/Ge- It/Ghana.html and Culture Grams https://online.culturegrams.com/world/index.php , and Blackbirch Kids Visual Ref. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bvbSH5nW- vIg41KUURalNmocmMM540ZPztu3vOn3DL4/edit and Junior World Mark, https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bvbSH5nW- vIg41KUURalNmocmMM540ZPztu3vOn3DL4/edit to complete the Ghana graphic organizer. Name: Class:

MAP of GHANA – Use an Atlas to locate the items.

On the map of Ghana label:

Political Features: Physical Features:

Ghana Lake Volta

Togo Black

Burkina Faso White Volta River

Cote D’Ivoire Gulf of

Accra (capital)

Kumasi

Question:

Where do you think most people live in Ghana? Why? GHANA TODAY - Use the following websites to complete the information Every Culture https://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Ghana.html

Culture Grams https://online.culturegrams.com/world/index.php https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bvbSH5nW-vIg41KUURalNmocmMM540ZPztu3vOn3DL4/edit https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bvbSH5nW-vIg41KUURalNmocmMM540ZPztu3vOn3DL4/edit

Location – Absolute location______

Relative location______

Population – ______Area in square miles______

Life Expectancy –m______f______GDP per capita ______

Median Age -______Why do you think this is?______

Environmental concerns-______

Climate - give description- ______

Where do the heavy rains take place? ______

How much rain does the town of Axim receive per year? ____

The northern and eastern parts of Ghana face severe______from Nov. to March.

Early History (3 facts) Date of Independence ______from ______a. ______b.______c.______

Major Industries – ______

Education-______

Three Interesting Facts about Ghana –

1.______

2.______

3.______Name: Class:

Read the Interview with Kingsley on Culture Grams. There is a top bar on the site to lead you to the interviews. Create a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting you and Kingsley. There are 10 questions in the interview posed to Kingsley. Use those questions as a guide for your differences and similarities.

Conclusion:

Do you think that Kingsley would make a good friend for you? Explain. Day 2 Instruction Tell students that Ghana is a country with rich ethnicity and cultural heritage. Background: (iExplore, Ghana – History and Culture.) “Historically called the Gold Coast, Ghana …once served as a major trading hub. The earliest history…can be traced back to 1500 BC with the arrival of the Dagombas people along with the Akans, the Gas, and the Ewes. The Ghana of today is perhaps most strongly influenced by the era…. The Ashanti’s emerged as a dominant power during the 16th century, conquering tribes and capturing trade routes to the coast.” The Ashanti, by the early 1800’s, became the most powerful empire in , controlling most of current Ghana.

During this time, Europeans arrived to exploit Africa’s valuable resources. By the mid 1800’s, European powers were competing for control of Africa. In 1884, European powers met in Germany to establish borders, ignoring the fact that Africa was a continent of over 10,000 ethnic groups, each with their own language and traditions. Ghana’s current borders were established, ignoring the ethnicities of the people. Ghana had become a colony in the British Empire. Ghana eventually was granted independence in 1957.

Students will research four of the ethnic groups on the worksheet that follows. Before students begin their research on the following pages, share these facts: 1. Almost the entire population is Black African 2. There are over a hundred ethnic groups in Ghana 3. Each group has its own language and cultural heritage 4. Violence between the groups is rare 5. Social interaction between the groups is quite common in modern day Ghana, especially in cosmopolitan urban centers like and Kumasi 6. Each ethnic group has its own language which is why English is the official language used in government, school, and business. 7. Traditional clothing varies with each ethnic group and is used for ceremonial occasions 8. Gender roles are distinct, but men’s and women’s roles are evolving with the modern life.

The four ethnic groups in the 4-Square represent the ethnic groups of the performance. Students will use the following graphic organizer to gather information on each group. Students will examine the following topics: Where group is located, roles of men/women, rituals/traditions/festivals, values, education

The questions, after students complete their research, are: What positive outcomes can result from so many ethnic groups? What negative outcomes can result from so many ethnic groups? How is Ghana relatively free from serious internal conflict?

Students can reflect on: government, education, values, traditions, etc. They can refer to the link of ethnic groups that I’ve given, or other resources they may find. Name: Class:

Major Ethnic groups of Ghana. Work with a partner and complete the graphic organizer. Include the following information – Where group is located in Ghana, average population, rituals/traditions/festivals, values, and gender roles. Answer questions on reverse side: 1. What positive outcomes can result from so many ethnic groups? 2. What negative outcomes can result from so many ethnic groups? 3. Why is Ghana relatively free from serious internal conflicts? https://www.easytrackghana.com/cultural-overview-ghana_tribes-rastas-religions.php

ASANTE EWE

GA DAGOMBA Day 3

Music Music is an integral part of everyday life in Ghana. In many ways their life if defined by their music. Even though The Republic of Ghana is a fairly new country, people are very connected to tradition. Women even gather to sing “marriage songs”, at times they refer to drums as “talking drums.” Students will read the biographies on the MUUS website. Questions 1-4 apply to the MUUS site http://www.musicunitesus.info/bios-fall2018.html

Ask students: who play an instrument, how long do they practice, does anyone want to be a professional, etc. You can also include sports, or other interests.

The students will answer questions on the worksheet that follows, questions 5-8 after viewing the videos.

This is from the Ewe ethnic group. Have students watch and listen to the following video for 5- 10 minutes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOlgMgZkAQQ

This is from the Asante ethnic group https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=miyHFZE2ZWI

This is from the Adowa Dance, Ghana Dance Ensemble https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVI8d1v-qR8

This is the Kete Dance https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVI8d1v-qR8

Works Cited: The works cited are imbedded throughout the lesson plan. Name: Class:

Working with a partner, answer the following questions after reading the biographies of the musicians on the MUUS website, http://www.musicunitesus.info/bios-fall2018.html.

1. What similar background do the visiting artists share? (various honors, experiences, etc)

2. What traits do they have in common?

3. Look at the pictures of the visiting artists. What are they wearing?

4. Do you think their cultural identity is important to them? Explain your answer.

5. As you listen to the music and view the videos, make a list of what you think the music is saying.

6. On the reverse side of this paper, draw what you hear.

7. Do you think the dance would be easy or difficult to learn? Why?

8. Is there a dance/music that you can recall from your experience that brings a group together? Example, a line dance?